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UNIT 2 STRUCTURE OF SCHOOL

EDUCATION
Structure
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Objectives
2.3 Indian Constitution and School Education
23.1
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I n d i ~ o n s t i i u t i o nand School Education
2 3.2 Status of Indian Schools
2.3.3
2.3.4
' h e Structure of Indian School Education
Responsibilities of the Central Government in ~ c h o o ~ c X i ~ n - - - --
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2.3.5 Responsibilities of the State Government
2.4 Central Provision for School Education
2.4.1 Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE)
2.4.2 Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)
2.4.3 National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)
2.4.4 National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE)
2.4.5 National I~stituteof Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA)
2.4.6 Kendriya Vidy alaya Sangathan (KVS)
2.4.7 National Open School (NOS)
2.5 State Provisions for School Education
2.5.1 State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT)
2.5.2 Board of Secondary Education (BSE)
2.5.3 State Textbook Board
2.6 Regional Level Organizations
2.7 District Level Organizations
2.7.1 District Education Office
2.7.2 District Institute of Education and Training (DIET)
2.8 Role of Local Level Organizations
2.8.1 Local Bodies in Rural Areas
2.8.2 Local Bodies in Urban Areas
2.9 Teachers' Union
2.9.1 Role of Trustees and Private Managements
2.10 Let Us Sum Up
2.11 Unit-end Activities
2.12 Points for Discussion
2.13 Answers to Check Your Progress

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2.14 Suggested Readings

2.1 INTRODUCTION Y

and it
The school is, as you already know, a social organization. It is created by the
exists in society to cater to its needs. Schools, therefore, are administered and +lat? PY
the society. TO administer and regulate them in our country different bodies anrauthorlUes
have been created. As stipulated in the 42nd Amendment of the Indian constirtion
''Education is the concurrent responsibility of both the Union and the State w i P p * t
Provisions for and adminisuation of education in the UnionT-f:-- . --- wqonslbdltY Of
the Union Government. S c h o w a t i n n th--wN1S, 1s a joint responsibilitj of the cenud
and State governments. we. l -~ & ~ e r e-
- -
, Ministry of Human Resoulce DevelO~ment
f o r e the
(MHRD), the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE), the National Council of
Educational Research and Training (NCERT), and the National Council of Teacher Education
(NCTE) etc. at the Central level. Similarly at the state level, we have the State Ministry of
Education, the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) or the State
Institute of Education (SIE), the State Board of Education, and the Text Book Board. At the
local level, we have the District Education Officer, the Panchayat Sarniti, the Village Panchayat
and the Village Education Committee. A school, wherever it is situated, has to cater to the
needs of the immediate community. Therefore, the functions and the structure of a school is
determined by the local level organization and administrator as well as the state and central
level agencies.
In this unit, we will discuss the structure of School Education and the constitutional provisions
for it in the Indian Constitution. We will also discuss the role of Central level,State level and
local level organizations and administrators in school education.

2.2 OBJECTIVES
After going through this unit, you will be able to :
describe the existing constitutional provisions for school education in India;
describe the status, functions and structure of Indian schools;
list roles of Central level, State level, District level and local level organizations and
administrators for school education;
state the relationship among various authorities and organizations provided at different
levels.

2.3 INDIAN CONSTITUTION AND SCHOOL EDUCATION


There exist two schools of thought concerning the relationship between the state and education.
One school of thought favours a total control of education by the state; viz., that it shall
lictate the content, the aim, and even the methods of teaching. There is no scope for private
nterprise in education. The other school of thought, however, believes in laissez faire in
lucation. According to this school, education of the child should be decided upon by the
nily, the church or philanthrophic institutions. The state may interfere in the administration
Ipolicies of education system. Being a democratic country, we have a system of education
:re the state, child, parents, priest and all concerned have the right to express their views.
structure of school education that has been developed swikes a balance between the two
:me approaches. As a result, although a common pattern of education (10+2 system)
s in our country, schools are of different kinds. From the following, you will know the
itutional provisions regarding school education, structure and functions of different types
iools and the roles of Centre and State government and local organizations in the
gement of school education.

2'- Indian Constitution and School Education


The,stitution of India specifies the obligations of the state in matters of education. It also
SPecl the organizational structure, the powers, and the responsibilities of the Central and
State vernments. The Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution contains legislative
pOwer,nder three lists viz. the union list, the state list and the concurrent list.
i, , % J n i o nList : Defines powers of the Parliament.
ii) Th~tateList :Contains all matters on which ordinarily the State Legislatures may pass
laws
...
"'1 The Cncurrent List : Contains all matters on which both the Parliament and State
Leglslatres can make laws.

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:There
-are 97.
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subjects in this list and the following entries are
\-.
Entry 13 : Educational and cultural relations with foreign c-es.
of its existence and perpetuation. The older generation exercises certain influences on the School in the Societal System
younger generation which is not yet ready for social life, with the objective of promoting in
children the set of physical, intellectual, and moral behaviours demanded of them by society
as a whole. In other words, each generation tries to pass on its social heritage and cultural
tradition to the next generation. This process is known as the transmission of culture.
Socialization starts right from the early years of a child where helshe is within the family
environment i.e. before schooling starts. What gets started of as socialization process is
inculcation of values - like showing respect for elders, sharing with others, being kind to
others, being honest etc. Observations of behaviour of the family members and the rewards
and punishments attached to certain sets of behaviour reinforce the practices and attitudes of
the family.

1.3.5 Education as a Socialization Process


Education is a process which reflects and maintains a society. Education is a social institution
that creates a new social being by imparting knowledge, skills (personal and social), values
etc. through years. In other words socialization is the process through which transmission of
culture takes place and behaviour patterns are adopted by the young child. The process of
socialization in an institution takes place consciously and formally by using the facilities
ecifically provided for the purpose, like schools, colleges etc. It involves deliberate
tra' rmsslon of knowledge, skills and values. The society institutionalizes these facilities by
@!!&. i n m e process, designating the personnel to carry it out, elaborating norms, providing
org
equipment and so on.

1.3.6 '~efinitionof Education


There are as many definitions of education as there are scholars defining it. Etymologically
the word is derived from 'educare' which means 'bringing up of children physically and
mentally'. Eminent sociologists and anthropologists agree on a broad definition of education
- "methodical socialization of the young generation". The chief argument in defence of such
broad usage of the term seems to be that the total effect of education is not achieved only
through formal agencies like schools and colleges. However, analytical rigour and practical
considerations necessitate a distinction between socialization and education.
Socialization may be used to refer to the total process of cultural learning that takes place
from birth to death, including instruction imparted in formal settings. But the word education
may be reserved to refer to the process of socialization that takes place consciously and
formally within the facilities specifically provided for the purpose, like schools, college etc.
Whatever learning takes place is planned and consciously designed by the society. Nothing
is left to chance or accident. Even a Street Urchin, who doesn't attend school, 'learns' a lot
of things by interacting with his physical and social environment. However, this learning is
'incidental' or 'informal'. In this context, informal learning as distinct from deliberately
planned education, can be considered synonymous with socialization. Thus, we have different
modes of education.

1.3.7 Different Modes of Education


Socialization is a process that continues throughout the life of an individual, and as a process
of transmission of culture, it is very complex and has wide-ranging implications. There are
various agencies, both formal and informal, which directly or indirectly contribute to the
process of socialization. The specific agencies involved in the process of socialization and the
way they contribute to it are to a great extent relative to the type of society and the level of
its development. Thus, in simpler societies not only is the process of socialization less complex
but also the agencies of socialization are few, simple and informal. But as societies grow in
complexity, the process of socialization also tends to become complex, with the arrangement
for socialization tending towards more structured, and formalized forms.
In tribal societies, life is based on simple technologies and there is correspondingly simple
division of labour with roles ascribed according to age andlor sex.. The cultural life of such
societies may be considered as relativel$ simple and as a repetitive cycle of generations. Often
there are no special institutions and no professional teachers in tribal communities to perform
the task of initiation, although there might be specific individuals, such as the tribal priest or
the village patriarah who plays a significant role in 'teaching' the new generation the tribal
mores and rituals.
, School System The entire family or class in general, plays a crucial role in transmitting the 'tribal language
and elementary rules of behaviour, etiquette and customs', and the restrictions and taboos to
the child. The child learns and absorbs elements of tribal culture through trial and error, play
and observation and do's and don'ts involving unconscious imitation as well as conscious
inculcation.
This process is called informal education or incidental education. The role the family plays
in socializing or educating a child is very important. In fact parents continue to be the first
educators of a child, and it is within the family that a child's personality is developed in its
early and formative years. But as far as teaching of skills that are necessary to earn a living
in modem society is concerned, the family's role has progressively become less significant
although father to son training continues to remain an important mode. The effectiveness of
the family as an agency of socialization becomes gradually weak and insignificant beyond the
formative years of a child.
Other than the family agencies that contribute towards socialization, are peer groups, work
groups, neighbourhood, mass media like press, TV,radio, and films in industrial societies. The
process of education through these agencies is predominantly informal in nature, although
conscious effort might be made to harness these resources in promoting education.
A child learns that on touching a flame, his fingers will get burnt. This is incidentallinformal
learning. It is through the child's interaction with the environment that much of the informal
learning occurs. It is not specifically designed with the purpose of promoting learning in a
child; in such a case learning may not always be desirable. For example, through peer group
pressure a child takes to smoking, although this is also learning, though it is undesirable.
As civilization advances, the gap between,capacities of the young and the concerns of adults
widens. Learning by direct sharing in activities of adults becomes increasingly difficult except
in the case of less advanced occupations. Ability to share effectively in adult activities thus
depends upon prior training given with this end in view. Intentional agencies - schools -
and explicit material are devised. The task of teaching is delegated to a special group of
persons. In other words, education of the young generation becomes formalized.
In contrast to informal learning, learning through fonpalised channels is always desirable, and
the means of bringing about such desirable learning are specifically and painstakingly designed
with such an objective under specially created conditions and with specific facilities created
for the purpose.
Thus, we can say that there are different ways of learning, like formal and non-formal apart
from incidentalhnformal learning that goes on throughout a person's lifetime. We will dwell
on each of these ways in more detail in the following sections.
Formal Education
Education has a collective function. Its objective is to help the child to adapt to the social
milieu in which shehe is destined to live. It is through education that society assures for its
citizens a sufficient community of ideas and sentiments, without which any society cannot
progress and perpetuate itself. In order that it may be able to produce this result, it is also
necessary that education should not be completely abandoned to the arbitrariness of individuals,
but be formalized and coordinated by an agency like the state, keeping in focus the broad
societal aims. It is up to the state (Government) to broadly identify ideas, sentiments, and
skills that must be impressed upon a child to help himlher adjust to the milieu in which he/
she must live.
Thus, ducation which is controlled and planned consciously ,by the state or its designated
agency such as the school with certain specific objectives is formal education. In such a
system of education there are rigid rules for age of admission, content and duration of courses,
procedures of examination, selection of elective subjects etc.
Non-formal Education
In contrast to formal education which is defined as teaching of certain knowledge, or instruction
in a particular branch of learning in a structured and programmed manner, examining etc.,
non-formal education refers to consciously organised and patterned instruction in certain areas
of knowledge, skill or values, which takes place outside the school or similarly designated
institutions, with flexibility regarding age, period of instruction, and with a choice of what to
learn. It caters to the needs of .adults, farmers, women, drop-outs etc. who are not for various
reasons. able to take advantage of formal education, either'because they have passed the age school in the Societal System
for it or because they are employed. Non-formal education is a very important mode through
which India's goals of universal elementary education and literacy are being promoted. The
Indira Gandhi National Open University and the National Open School - both centrally
operating from New Delhi and part time non-formal education centres are typical examples
of this system.
The importance of non-formal mode of education to reach different sections of the society is
increasing in thc present Indian education scenario, mainly because formal system is unable
to meet the demand for education for all the segments of the society.

1.3.8 Formal Education as a Sub-system of Societal System


It has been repeatedly stated that educational institutions impart knowledge of a variety of
types and train people in various skills so that they can fill the manifold adult roles in society,
that these institutions are endowed with the responsibility of creating and expanding knowledge,
and also that education contributes towards sodialization by providing its clientele with the
context and experience of adult roles in a social framework. This does not, however, mean
that education is a full fledged, and self-contained institution, completely separated from the
wider society. Education as an institution is firmly entrenched in society. Considering society
as a larger system, education is a sub-system of society. In fact there is a strong dialectical
relationship between society and educational institutions. Not only do decisions taken in
educational institutions influence society, but it is also true that society - in the form of
interest groups has a great deal of control over the content and modes of education. Educational
policy, whether national or restricted to a single institution, is the outcome of an ongoing
debate between people who have an interest in securing particular outcomes. Thus, decisions
about the kind of sex education which should be introduced in ischools, or the moral
appropriateness of boys growing their hair, all hinge on the definitions of people from the
society who feel they have right to contribute.
Apart from the fact that it is a social agency and that it is influenced by society, education
is inseparably related to other social institutions like family, religion, economy, polity, etc. In
fact, it is only for analytical purposes that we can isolate education from other social institutions.
The nature of the relationship between education and other social institutions is reciprocal.
Education affects other social institutions and other social institutions also affect education.
To the extent that all these social institutions are interwoven, changes in one will definitely
have an impact on others either directly or indirectly. (These aspects have been already
referred to, in Section 1.3.3).
The relationship of education with society and other social institutions can be represented
through a flow diagram as shown below:

Society L

I Culture k-

Economy
F 4 State
Religion

Fig. 1.1 : Relatiomhip of Education with Society and other Social Institutions
, 1

As an example, the relationship of family as a social institution, and education can be analysed
as follows :
For a child. the first stage of socialization starts in the family much before helshe starts
schooling. The family background of the child decides the type of socialization process that
the child is exposed to. When a child comes to school, helshe already has been moulded
through a process of initial socialization which fixther influences the changes that take place
during the schooling process. Even after schooling has started both the family and the school 11
Scl~oolSystem work on the child with the common objective of socialization. It is possible that the two social
institutions -family and school -complement each other in their purpose and also conversely,
possible that they come into conflict with each other.
The structure of the family is itself affected to a considerable extent by education. The impact
of education on rural people seeking jobs outside their home and village, has resulted in a
nuclear family structure in place of the joint family structure. Education has brought down the
birth rate in families, and has resulted in enhancement of woman's status in families, both of
which have also influenced family structure and functioning. Similarly, religion, culture, and
economy are all influenced by education and do exercise their influence on education.
We have discussed the following aspects in the previous sections :
Society can be conceived of as a system with different sub-systems working in an inter-
related fashion.
Education is a sub-system of society, which functions in reciprocation with other sub-
systems like family, economy etc.
Methodical socialization.of the young generation is one of the main aims of the society
by which it maintains itself.
Education is a socialization process by means of which knowledge, skills (personal and
social) and values are promoted in the young generation.
There are different modes of education - formal, non-formal and informal.
Formal education is a sub-system of the society working towards the important societal
aim of socializing the young generation.

I Cheek Your Progress


I
Notes: a) Write your answers in the space given below.
b) Compare your answers with those given at the end of this unit.

1 1. Define a system in 2-3 lines.


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2. Justify the statement - "Society is a system a n d a a t education is a sub-system of


the societal system."

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3. Explain how education is a socialization process.

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4. What are the different modes of education?
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School m the Societal System
1.4 SCHOOL AS A FORMAL EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
We have already seen that education is a social process, that education could be through a
formal or non-formal mode, that a lot of our education is informallincidental, and that formal
education is a sub-system of the societal system.
If we recall the definition of formal education, it is that education, controlled and planned
consciously by the state with certain specific objectives, is confined to institutions specially
designed for the purpose. It is easy to conclude from this definition that school education and
college/university education are included under formal education. All the above linkages can
be represented by a flow diagram as shown under :

'7 Education

Education Education

Fig. 1.2 : Education and its Linkages

Non-formal education which is less structured and has more flexibility, is imparted through
educational institutions like National Open School, and universities like Indira Gandhi National
Open University. Now let us study the characteristics of school system that make it formal.
As you already know, in a school situation, pre-specified and desired learning is the objective
attempted to be achieved through providing a controlled environment for a student to interact
with. Hence at all stages, all activities are highly structured/consciously planned, leaving
nothing to chance. There are several reasons for the complexity of the school's structure,
chief among them being the magnitude of the student-population and their age-gradeness,
pressures for standardization of the quality of the outgoing students, and the accountability
of schools to parents, employers and the community at large. The other characteristics of a
school that make it formal are rational goal-setting, a hierarchy of offices, a division of labour
with specially trained incumbents, a proliferation of rules, elaborate record-keeping systems,
structured assessment procedures, etc.
A school is primarily under the control uf the State. The State decides the broad aims of
schooling through educational policies, keeping in focus the national goals. The content or
the syllabus for each class is given to the school by the government through a board. The
gradation of the content is structured taking into consideration the levels of mental and
physical development of children.
The age at which a child can be initiated into school is often fixed, and the criteria of
education and promotion to each higher class are fixed. Personnel with special training are
recruited to carry out the function of socialization of young ones. There is a hierarchy among
these personnel viz. a principal as the administrator, with senior teachers, junior teachers,
non-teaching staff, helpers etc. All these personnel have distinctly different responsibilities,
but all the functions are interdependent. Hence these personnel have to work in a coordinated

All the above characteristics make a school a formallstructural education system.

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School System
1.4.1 School as a Formal Organization
Within the broad class of complex organization which pursue formally prescribed goals, there
is a sub-class of agencies which is devoted to the processing function. Schools belong to this
sub-class but so do production departments of industrial firms. We, therefore, need to take a
further step and distinguish between processing of things and-of people. The latter is especially
important, as processing of human beings is quite a different matter from that of processing
of things. Humans can talk back, they can remain impervious to influence, they can defy
reliable prediction of the outcomes of processing, they can evoke responses in their 'processors'
which are irrelevant and even detrimental to the task at hand, and they are identities outside
of the organization. Further, people have a way of bonding together to solve common status
problem. These features of human processing systems affect rational, bureaucratic structure
of schools. Also, human processing agencies require a certain kind of staff whlch has special
qualifications for providing a personal service that is both highly problematic and highly
valued by society. Consequently, teaching and administrative staff of schools share certain
attributes with occupation known as professions. In short, schools are not only complex
organizations, but are professional agencies.
Another distinction needs to be made among complex organizations which process people.
Prisons and mental hospitals seek to reform persons, while schools seek to form them, or, in
sociological terminology, schools are engaged in socialization whereas prisons and mental
hospitals or rehabilitation centres are engaged in resocialization.
In sum, it is not sufficient to view schools simply as bureaucracies, nor simply as agencies
which process human begins. They must be seen as bureaucratic, professional, socializing
agencies. This means that while schools share specific attributes with other kinds of
organizations, they combine these attributes into a special form.
Schools are related to a number of other formal organizations. Some of these organizations
are integral to the educational system, i.e., colleges and universities, and state and other
educational agencies. There are other agencies which are ancillary to this formal structure, i.e.
textbook publishers and the school boards (primary, secondary and higher secondary). These
latter structures exert a great deal of influence on educational decisions at the local level. In
fact, they account in large part for the national standardization of curriculum and instructional
practices in spite of nominal local control.
As you have already appreciated, education in a school, as compared with that in the family
or in peer group, goes on in relatively formal ways. The formal character of the school is well
exemplified in the extent to which rights and duties are distributed according to age. While
the family, the peer group, and other social groups are also age-graded systems (ones in whcih
younger and older members enjoy different privileges and obligations), it is the school that
is the most age-graded of all social institutions.
Not only is the school-system a formally-organized institution, but it is bureaucratized, as
other organizations in a modern society. Bureaucracy involves increasing specialization of
work, and at the same time coordination of specialized activities into a functioning whole.
Among other processes,' bureaucratization involves centralization of authority and the
standardization of work routines. Every school has a pattern of social relations that is not only
unique but which persists through time, so that the pattern is not radically changed even when
different individuals enter or leave it.

Social Structure of the School


The school is a social structure in which various groups are. related according to a system of
rank and prestige.
In broad terms, school as a social system has four main levels of rank within it. At the top
of the structure is the school board making school policy, selecting the manager and deciding
on school expenditures. The school board acts as the agent of wider community. The second
main level is that of school administrator/suprintendents/principals/supervisors.The third level
in the*ture is composed of teachers: some occupying higher ranks than others. The fourth
level of the structure is composed of students, clients whom the school serves.
.$ 5'
School in Ule Socieial System

'
i School Board

Administrators, Superintendents,

d=) Teachers

C Pupils 1
Fig. 1.3 : The Formal Structure of the School

In general, authority flows only in one direction within the school structure downward'from
school board to student although the lower levels might affect the exercise of authority and
also the nature of educational decisions. While authority flows downward, interaction of
varying types occurs within the school structure in both horizontal and vertical directions, and
the quality of interaction affects the school functioning as a whole.
In summary, the school is a complex web of social interactions, with various types of interaction
taking place simultaneously, each affecting the whole, and each having at least an indirect
influence upon the child.

' 1.4.2 Objectives of School as Emerging from Social Aim


What a society holds to be desirable serves as the criteria for what it wants - and ultimately
what it does - in education and in all aspects of culture. Every culture has its values and
value system. In every society people differentiate between what they conceive to be desirable
and not desirable. Thus, a system of values is built upon their concepts. The values that
memhers of a society hold in common can be called cultural values. As already mentioned,
the school provides a consciously designed special environment for the younger generation
to imbibe the cultural values of the society and acquire knowledge and skills regarded as
desirable in the context of the values of the society. From this, it is ohvious that the objectives
of schools are hroadly decided upon by the society. This can be also understood from the fact
that the school is a sub-system of the societal system, which (school) functions for achieving
societal goals.
To be more specific, each country has its nationJ goals enshrined in its constitution. These
national goals are derived definately from the commonly agreed upon cultural value system
of the country. It is from these national goals that our educational goals are derived. This is
because it is through education that these goals can be achieved over a period of time. From
national goals are derived core curricula i.e. the essence of all the experiences to be provided
in the school, ultimately aiming at achieving national goals. Each state formulates its curriculum
keeping core curriculum as the focus. Different schools in a state follow the prescribed
curriculum with minor modifications.
The point that is being stressed is that in the formulation of aims of'each school, national
goals (social aims) become the reference point and deviations or modifications, although
allowed. are minimal. To cite an example, India being a country with different languages,
religions, races, etc., national goals do reflect this plurality and diversity. For example,
secularism, (i.e. respect for all religions, and religious practices, and freedom io practise one's
own religion) is one of the important values kept in focus while curriculum is designed he
it at national, state, or school level.
Sehool System
Check Your Progress
Notes: a) Write your answers in the space given below.
b) Compare your answers with those given at the end of this unit.
5. School is a formal system for socializing the young generation of society. Explain in
five lines.
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6. Describe the social organization of schools in five lines.
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7. Explain briefly how objectives of schools are formulated.
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1.5 SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY


School is a social institution where consciously designed learning experiences are provided
with the objective of achieving social aims at large, over a-period of time. Hence, school is
working as a sub-system of the larger system of society. The school, however, has to functionally
coordinate with its immediate environment, the community in which it is situated. Definitely,
the relationship between any school and its immediate community can be considered only as
part of this larger general relationship between education and society.

Fig. 1.4 : Relatiomhip between Education and Society

The word 'community' is meant to imply a wider grouping of people located within fairly
recognizable boundaries, and related to each other by social, economic and civic activities
which produce oneness among them sufficient to develop a recognizable identity as a group.
16
Entry 62 : The institutions known at the commencement of the Constitution as National St~dIIreof Schod Education
Library, the Indian Museum, the Imperial War Museum, the Victoria
Memorial, and Indian War Memorial. Any other such institutions financed
by the Government of India wholly or in part and declared by the Parliament,
by law to be an institution of national importance.
Entry 63 : The Institutions of National importance, specifically the Central Universities
existing during the commencement of the Constitution and to be declared by
the Parliament as institutions of National importance.
Entry 64 : Institutions of Scientific and Technical Education financed by the Central
Government of India wholly or in part and declared by the Parliament, by
law as institutions of National importance.
Entry 65 : The agencies and institutions meant for :
a) Professional, vocational or technical training
b) Promotion of special studies and research
c) Scientific and technical assistance in the investigation and detection of
crime
Entry 66 : Co-ordination and maintenance of standards for higher education or research.
Besides these, the Central Government administers education in Union Territories as specified
in Article 239 of the Constitution.
ii) List (ii) State List : It consists of 66 entries, out of which the entry related to education
is as follows:
Entry 12 : Libraries, Museums, and other similar institutions controlled or financed by
the State, Ancient and Historical monuments and records other than
those declared by or under law made by the Parliament to be of National
importance.
iii) List (iii) Concurrent List :This list comprises 47 entries. The entries related to education
are as follows :
Entry 20 : Economic and Social Planning.
Entry 25 : Education, including technical education, medical education and universities
subject to the provision of entries 63, 64. 65 and 66 of List (i).
Entry 39 : Newspapers, books and printing presses.
In aflition to the above, there are some other provisions which have implications for educational
policy making at the Central and State levels. These pertain to the rights of minorities to
establish and maintain educational institutions, reservation in educational institutions of
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes etc. These are described below :
a) Education of Minorities :Article 28 of the Constitution has made certain provisions for
the education of the minorities. These include :
i) No religious instruction shall be provided in educational institutions wholly
maintained out of state funds.
ii) If any institution is established under any endowment trust even if administered by
state, can impart religious education.
iii) No person attending an educational institution recognized by the state or receiving
funds from State government shall be required to take part in any religious worship
or instruction that may be conducted in such institutions or in any premises attached
there to unless such person, or if such person is a minor and his guardian has given
his consent thereto.
b) Cultural and Educational Rights : The Indian Constitution has made special
provision under Article 29 and 30 for the protection of educational interest of
minorities viz.
i) Article 29 (i) states that, "any section of citizens residing in the Territory of India
or any part thereof having a distinct language, script, or culture of its own shall
have the right to conserve the same".
school System ii) Article 30 (i) states that, "all minorities whether based on religion or language
shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their
choice".
iii) Article 30 (ii) states that, "the State shall not in granting aid to educational institutions,
discriminate against any, educational institution on the ground that it is under the
?
I
management of a ~ n o r i t ywhether based on religion or language".
iv) In making any law providing for the compulsory acquisition of any property of any
educational institution established and administered by minorities, the State shall
.ensure that the amount fixed by or determined under such law for acquisition of
such property is such as would not restrict or abrogate the right guaranteed to
them".
c) Admission to Educational Institutions
i) Article 29 (ii) lays down that no citizen of India can be denied admission into
any educational institution, which is either maintained by the State or receiving
aid out of state funds on ground only of religion, race, caste, language or any of
them.
ii) Article 15 (iii) authorizes the state to make special provisions for women. Hence,
separate educational institutions for women can be established.
d) Teakhing of Mother Tongue : The Constitution of India has made some provisions for
the promotion of mother tongue and Hindi :
i) Article 350 (A) lays down that, "it shall be the endeavour of every state and local
authorities with the state to provide adequate facilities for instruction in the mother
tongue at the primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic minority
groups; and the President may issue directions to any state as he considers necessary
for securing the facilities".
ii) Article 351 promotes the development of Hindi Language and it states that it shall
be the duty of the Central Government to promote the spread of Hindi language in
the country.
e) Right to Education :India is a secular, democratic and republic country. All the citizens
have equal right to education. This has been provided for in Article 41 of the Constitution.
It states that. "the state shall, within the limits of its economic capacity and development,
make effective provision for the right to work, to education, and to public assistance in
cases of employment, old age, sickness and disablement".
f) Education of fhe Weaker Sections of the Society: The Constitution has made special
provisions for @e weaker sections of our society. Following are some of the Articles
which promote and protect the education of these people.
i) Article 45 : It states that, "the state shall endeavour to provide within a period of
ten years from the commencement of the Constitution for free and compulsory
education for all children until they complete the age of fourteen years".
ii) Article 46 : This Article states that " the state shall promote with special care the
educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the peop!~and, in
particular, of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, and shall protect them
f?om social injustice and all forms of exploitations".
In addition to the Constitutional provisions for weaker sections, minority groups, rights of
people to education etc., the Supreme Court of India has given the following guidelines to
promote education of the people :
I
i) The state can make regulatory measures to promote efficiency of education.
ii) Educational institutions of minority groups can not claim immunity from general laws
such. as Contract Law, Labour Law and Industrial Law etc.
I iii) The state can take over the management of the institutions of minority groups in case of
irregularity and inefficiency.
iv) Teachers have the right to approach to the Arbitration Tribunal in case of any injustice

1 26 to them by the institution.


Stmcture of S c h d Education
Check Your Progress
Notes: a) Write your answers in the space given below.
b) Compare your answers with those given at the end of this unit.
1. What are the three lists in the Constitution for the subject education?
...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................
2. List the educational entries under each of the list.

3. Give the constitutional provisions for the education of minorities, Scheduled


Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

.............................................................................................................................................
4. What provisions do we have for the teaching of the mother tongue?

2.3.2 Status of Indian Schools


The Fifth AU India Educational Survey - Selected Statistics (NCERT, 1989) reveals that
there were 5.30 lakh primary schools, 1.38 lakh upper primary schools, 52,000 secondary
schools and 15,500 higher secondary schools in the country. These schools are managed by
different educational agencies as shown in the diagram.

b. Quasi-Public
Enterprises

I Government Government

Fig. 2 1 : Types of School Fnterprises in India


27
School System Out of these seven types of enterprises, around 41 % of primary and upper primary schools
are managed fully by the Centre or State governments. Around 47.5% of primary schools and
30% of upper primary schools are controlled by local bodies. At the secondary school level,
most of the schools are managed by private bodies and the percentage of such schools
managed by local bodies ranges from 2 to 6% only. Schools managed by private bodies also 1
receive grants from the government. Each year government spends about 10,000 crore of
rupees on education from the government exchequer. In addition, there is considerable
investment from the private sector in school education. The resource gfiocation on education
over the years presents the following picture :
Table 2.1 : Allocation of Finance to Different Sectors of Education in Five Year Plan
1
Sector % of Plan Allocation
in First Plan
% of Plan Allocation
in Seventh Plan I
1. Elementary Education 56
2. Secondary Education 13
3. University Education and others 31

You can see in the above table the variation in percentage of allocation between the First Five
Year Plan and the Seventh Five Year Plan. You may notide that less money has been allocated
to Elementary and Secondary Education in comparison to University Education. But as the
NPE, 1986 has recommended six percent allocation of GNP being allocated to education,
school education is likely to increase its share in the plan allocations. There have been serious
efforts to a~hieve100% enrolment at the elementary level, to improve the retention of children
for the full period of schooling and generally to improve the quality teaching and learning.
As a result of this effort, there has been continuous increase in enrolment. The drop-out rates
have also decreased to some extent. Increasing number of children are also completing their
school eduaation. In order to meet the increasing demand for education, the outlay for general
education and technical education has been increased under Eighth Five Year Plan (see
Table 2.2).
Table 2 3 : Eighth Plan Outlay for General and Technical Education
(In Crores)

SI. No. Major Head Centre States U.Ts Total


- - - - -

1. General Education 6619.00 9607.19 587.16 16813.35


2. Technical Education 824.00 1804.66 157.72 2786.38
3. (Total - 1-2) 7443 .OO 11411.85 744.88 19599.73

Source: Planning Commission, Govt. of India (1992-97). p.320.

2.3.3 The Structure of Indian School Education


The structure of school education refers to the ladder of education at school level. The ladder
of education can be visualized from two perspectives. One academic and two, administrative.
The academic structure has been given in detail in the next unit. However, it will be worthwhile
for you to know the .academic structure in brief.
i) Academic Structure: The Education Commission 1964-66 recommended the 10+2+3
pattern for adoption as a common pattern of education in the country. The 1968 National
Policy on Education strongly recommended its implementation in all parts of the country.
Finally, the 36th session of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) held at
Delhi onblOth September, 1972 passed a resolution stating that "it would be desirable to
adopt a uniform pattern of education, i.e. 10+2+3 in all parts of the country by the end
of Fifth Five Year Plan". It also asked the Ministry of Education to work out the details
of cost. The Govt. subsequently appointed a National Level Committee on 10+2+3
educatioqal structure. It identified the merits of the proposed structure and the Govt.
accepted the 10+2+3 pattern of education.
Now, wehave a common pattern of education throughout the country, consisting of pre-
primary education, (named also as Kindergarten, Montessory Schools, Pre-basic schools Education
swctnt-e d S c h ~ d
and Play centres), elementary education ranging from standard I to standard VII or VIII
and divided into lower-primary and upper-primary education, secondary education
consisting of standards VII or VIII to X and the higher secondary education or +2
education of grades XI and XII. Thus, up to +2 level, there is undiversified school
education. Other forms of education have also developed so as to meet social demand.
These include, among others, non-formal education, open school education, vocational
education, and commercial education etc. To administer all these forms of school education,
there is an organizational structure and some constitutional provisions. The organizational
structure of school education is presented below.
ii) The Organizational Structure: Education as indicated above, is the joint responsibility
of States and the Centre. The organizational structure has been developed to manage
education at different levels i.e., Centre, State, District, Block and at village level.
a) Central Level
At the Central level, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) is the main
governmental agency. Earlier designated as the Ministry of Education, it was renamed as
MHRD in 1985 in view of the variety of activities which it undertakes for human resource
development. The structure of the Ministry is given in the next page .
At the Central level, the Department of Education in the MHRD is responsible for all matters
pertaining to education, including overall planning of programmes and providing guidance
for their implementation. The MHRD, is headed by a Cabinet Minister of the Union
Government. The Department of Education, under the MHRD, is under the charge of a
Minister of State who is advised at the official level by the Secretary to the Department,
assisted by an additional secretary and Educational Advisor on academic and policy matters
of Education. The Department of Education consists of several bureaus, each of which is
headed by a Joint Secretary or Joint Educational Advisor. These officials are assisted by
Directors, Deputy Secretaries or Deputy Educational Advisors, who are the divisional heads.
In terms, they are assisted by Under Secretaries or Assistant Educational Advisors, who have
one or more sub-divisions under them. These divisions form part of different bureaus.
The Central Government has created a number of specialized institutions and organizations
to help and advise the Government in the matter of formulation and implementation of
policies and programmes in the field of education, particularly school education. The following
is the list of such institutions and organizations which assist and advise the Central Government:
1. Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi.
2. Central Hindi Directorate, New Delhi.
3. Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore.
4. Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages, Hyderabad.
5. Educational Consultants of India Ltd., New Delhi.
6. Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathana, New Delhi.
7. National Council of Educational Research and Training, New Delhi.
8. National Council of Teacher Education, New Delhi.
9. National Institute of Adult Education, New Delhi.
10. National Institute of Public Co-operation and Child Development, New Delhi.
11. National Open School, New Delhi.
12. Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, New Delhi.
13. All India Council for Technical Education, New Delhi.
14. University Grants Conunission, New Delhi.
15. National Institute of Educational Planning and Adnlinistration, New Delhi.
16. National Sports Authority of India, New Delhi.
17. National Literacy Mission, New Delhi. \
MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

MINISTER OF H.R.D.
I

EDUCATION SECRETARY

I
ADDITIONAL SECRETARY

I
t
ELEMENTARY
I
ADULT EDN.
I
PLANNING
I
UNIVERSITY
I D.P.E P. I EDN. 8 O.L. & NLM & HR. EDN.

I
JS (DPEP) J s (EE) JS (AE) 8 DG (NLM)
I
JS (SE & ADMN) JS (BP,UT 6 S.SHIP) JS I(M)
I
FA(HRD)
I
CCA

DIR(S) DIR(ET) DIR (SCH) DY(FA)

I l l I I I
I l l I I I I I I
II I I I I I I I I
DS DS DS DS(NFE) DS DEA DS(A) DS(S) DS(BP) DE4UT) DEA(SKT) DS(T) DENT) DEA(T) DENT) DEA(T)

-
(v) (V)

I A J LD&GGZl I-NATIONAL - UNNERSITY GRANTS - NATIONAL - NATIONAL BOOK - ALL INDIA COUNCILOF
I ADULT EDUCATION ( I INSTITUTE I COMMlSSlON COUNCIL OF TRUST DIRECTORATE TECHNICAL EDUCATION

II I'
-NATIONAL OF EDUCATIONAL -CENTRAL EDUCATIONAL - KENDRIYA VIDYA- - KENDRIYA HINDI - INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
PLANNINGAND RESEARCH LAYA SANGHATHAN SANSTHAN TECHNOLOGY
INSTITUTE OF UNNERSlTlES
ADMINISTRATION AND TRAlNlNG - BUREAL FOR
- INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
I ADULT
EDUCATION
I
ADVANCE STUDIES
SHIMLA
- CENTRAL
BOARD OF
- NAVODAYA VIDYA-
LAYA SAMlTl PROMOTION OF
URDU CENTRAL
- REGIONAL ENGINEERING
COLLEGES
SECONDARY - CENTRAL TIBETIAN
INSTITUTE OF INDIAN
- INDIAN INSTITUTE OF
- INDIAN COUNCIL OF SCHOOL ADMN. MANAGEMENT
EDUCATION LANGUAGES
SOCIAL SCIENCE - SCHOOL OF PLANNING
RESEARCH - NATIONAL - COMMISSION FOR
&ARCHITECTURE
SCIENTIFIC & TECH.
- HlSToRlCAL KSEARCH - EDUCATIONAL
SCHOOL TERMINOLOGY
- PHILOSPHICAL CONSULTANTS
RESEARCH
- CENTRAL INSTITUTE
OF INDIA LTD.
OF ENG. & FOREIGN
- NATIONAL EVALUATION LANGUAGES - REGIONAL OFFICES
ORGANISATION

- Post of Educational Advisor (Technical) is vacant and one post of JEA(T) is operated against this post.
I - 0ne.post each of JEA(G) and JS are vacant.
- Cases p e r t a i n i n g to Bureau of BP, Scholarships 8 UT, Bureau of University 8 Higher Education, Planning UNESCO,
Vocational Education and EducationalTechnology Division are routed through Additional Secretary.
There are also some All India forums set up by the Cent& Government to facilitate the , Struetore of ~.&odEducation
process of educational development in the country and to strengthen relationship between the
Central Government.and State Governments in planning, implementation, and co-ordination
of educational programmes. Such forums are the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE),
the State Education Ministers' Conference, the Conference of Education Secretaries and
Planning Commission of the Government of India.
b) Administrative Structure of School Education at the State Level
At the State level, the position varies. In some States there is the State Ministry of Education
headed by a Minister of Education which looks after the entire sector of education in the
States. There might be separate ministries for different sectors such as Higher Education,
Technical Education etc. The Minister or Ministers islare member(s) of the State Legislative
Assembly. The Minister is responsible to the State Legislature. There are a number of
Directorates which functions under the respective Ministries of Education. The Minister controls
the formulation of educational policies, directs their execution and supervises their
implementation. Other Ministers and departments control other types of education like technical,
agricultural, medical, and industrial etc. The structure of school education at the state level
has been presented in Figure 2.3 below.

Ministry of Education
I

I
Board of
SCERT Text Book Board
Education

-----------t Regional or Circle Office

El- Zila
Parishad
+ District Education
Office
I
+
District Institute of
Education and Training

Nagarpalikal
Municipalities1

Village Gram
Education Panchay at
Committee
Fig. 2 3 :Structure of Education at State Level

It can be seen kom Fig. 2.3 that under the Education Minister, there is a Secretariat. The
Secretary is the administrative head of the Secretariat. He is directly responsible to the Minister
for policy making and its execution at the school level. He generally belongs to the Indian
Administrative Service and is assisted by JointIDeputylUnder Secretaries. States have
established Directorates of Education for different sectors such as Elementary, Secondary and
Higher Secondary. In the Directorate, the Director is the executive head. HeIShe is assisted
by Joint Directors, Deputy Directors, Assistant Directors etc.
States are generally divided into educational circles on the basis of geographical proximity of
the districts. Each circle is under the charge of a Circle Inspector or Circle Education Officer.
He looks after schools in hisher circle with the help of District Education OfficersIDistrict
Inspectors of States; Block Education Officers and School Inspectors are incharge of specific
geographical regions. It is important to note that all States do not have the same'administrative
structure. In some States, there is only a two-tier administrative set up viz., the State Department
of Education and the Zonal or District Education Officer. In others there might be an
intermediary set up between the Department and the District level arrangement. There are,
therefore, variations in the administrative structure of school education at the State level.
Check Your Progress
Notes: a> Write your answers in the space given below.
b) Compare you answers with those given at the end of this unit.
5. What is the academic structure of school education ?

6. What are the Central Level Institutions and Organizations for School Education? Name
any four.

2.3.4 Responsibilities of the Central Government in School Education


The above sections informed you of the Constitutional provisions in respect of education and
the structure of school education. Here below, you will learn the responsibilities of the Centre
in school education. The following are the Centre's responsibilities in school education :
1. To make available free and compulsory education upto the age of 14, as directed in the
Constitution.
2. Equalization of educational opportunities with special reference to the reduction of inter-
state differences and the advancement of the weaker sections of the society.
3. To make arrangements for the provision of scholarships to the needy and competent students.
4. To promote vocationalization of secondary education in all States.
5. To improve standards of education at school stage.
6. To improve the status of teachers and organize teacher education programmes.
7. To facilitate and organize non-formal education programme.
8. To facilitate and organize open school education programme in all parts of the country.
9. To promote educational research in the country.
10. To promote and organize special education programme.
11. To administer school education directly in Union Temtories and Centrally administered
areas.
12. To provide assistance to States, local bodies, and non-governmental organization for
development of education, and
13. To provide guidance wherever required.

2.3.5 Responsibilities of the State Government


School education is under the direct control of State Governments. They prepare educational
plans in relation to their needs and conditions by taking into consideration the plan frame
and policies prepared at the Centre. The following are the responsibilities of the State
Governments.
--

Stracture of Schod Education


1. To establish and maintain educational institutions.
2. To give recognition for the establishment of schools.
3. To provide grants to schools managed by private bodies.
4. To pass laws for different types of school education.
5. To supervise schools through DEOs and Supervisors at Block level.
6. To recruit and place teachers in schools.
7. To prescribe thesyllahus and supply books.
8. To establish school boards to conduct examinations.
9. To provide special assistance to poor and backward students.
10. To organize training programmes for teachers and supervisors.
11. To initiate action against teachers and schools in case of any lapse.
12. To feed information to the Centre about schools.
13. To provide academic and training support to schools through its institutions created for
the purpose.
14. To promote research and development in education.
Till now, you have learned that to administer school education there are Constitutionalprovisions
in the Seventh Schedule i.e., List I, List I1 and List 111. The entries under these lists specify
the roles of the Central Government and State Government in education, Union Territories are
directly under the control of Central government. But in the States, school education is under
the control of States. For education of weaker sections, minority groups and teaching of
mother tongue, there are different articles, i.e. Article 28 for minority groups, Article 29 (i)
and 30 (i) and (ii) for the cultural and educational rights of all citizens, Article 29 (ii) for
admission to educational institutions, and Article 350 (A), and 351 for the teaching of mother
tongue and Hindi language. Further, you have also learned the Article 41, 45 and 46 which
state clearly the rules and regulations for the right to education of the weaker sections.
You have studied the responsibilities of Centre and State in school education. You must have
noted that the Centre has the main role to play in framing policies and the State has to act
upon them in their own context.
Now with this knowledge, you can take the following exercise to know how much you have
learned. After the exercise you may read the next section.
Check Your Progress
Notes: a) Write your answers in the space given below.
b) Compare your answers with those given at the end of this unit.

7. Write down the responsibilities of Centre and States in school education.


..............................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................

2.4 CENTRAL PROVISION FOR SCHOOL EDUCATION


The Central Government has created some forums and organizations for assisting it in policy
making and administering education at school level. These organizations include: CABE,
NCERT, NCTE, NIEPA, Educational Consultants of India Ltd., CBSE etc. You will learn
about the functions of these organizations in thz following. 39
Scbeoi System 2.4.1 Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE)
CABE is one of the oldest and the most important advisory bodies of the Government of
India on education. It was established in 1920. It was dissolved in 1923 and revived in 1935.
The Union Minister of HRD is the Chairman of this Board and membership consists of
representatives of State governments, Government of India, members of Parliament and
distinpished educationists from different parts of the country. The functions of the CABE
are:
a) to advise on educational matters which may be referred to it by the Government of India
or by States,
b) to call for information and circulate it with recommendations to the Govt. of India and
to State Goverments, and
c) to assess the achievements of the previous year and recommend educational programmes
lor the next year.

2.4.2 Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)


This Board was established in 1929 at Ajmer. It was reconstituted by the Govt. of India in
1962. The functions of the CBSE are :
a) to prescribe syllabus for secondary education,
b) to conduct examinations for secondary schools,
c) to' affiliate secondary and higher secondary schools, and
d) to develop curriculum and textual materials for secondary and higher secondary schools.

2.4.3 National Council of Educational Research and 7I;tining (NCERT)


TheNCERT was established in 1961 as an autonomous organization. It acts as an advisor to
the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and is fully financed by the Central
Government. The Union Minister of MHRD is its President and the Education Ministers of
all the States and Union Territories are its members. The other members are the Chairman
of UGC, Secretary of MHRD, and Four Vice-Chancellors from four regions of the country.
The Council has under it the following institutions :
1. National Institute of Education.
2. Central Institute of EducationaI Technology.
3. Four Regional Institutes of Education at Ajmer, Bhopal. Bhubaneswar and Mysore.
4. Central Institute of Vocational Education, Bhopal.
It has under it departments viz., Policy Planning, Pre-school, Elementary Education, Special
Education, Educational Research, Science and Mathematics Education, Social Sciences and
Humanities. Educational Measurement and Evaluation, Publication Division, and Teacher
Education, Field Advisors, etc.
The functions of NCERT are as follows :
a) to undertake studies, investigations, and surveys relating to school education,
b) to organize pre-service and in-service training of teachers at an advanced level,
c) to wganize extension service,
d) to disseminate improved educational techniques and practices in schools,
e) to act as clearing house for ideas and information on all matters relating to school
education,
f) to frnance research on school education, and
g) to formulate policies and programmes in schooI education.
The Council works in close co-operation with MHRD and all the State Ministries of Education
and their Secretariats. It also keeps close contact with universities in the country, State level
34
- -
institutions and similar national and international organizations throughout the world. It has Structure of Schod Education
developed curriculum framework and model textbooks and guide books for teachers for
all levels of school education. The Council also publishes journals and research reports
periodically.

2.4.4 National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE)


NCTE is a statutory body of the Central Government. It was establiihed in 1995 after the bill
was passed by the Parliament. There is an Executive Committee and a Regional Committee
which work for NCTE. The main functions of NCTE are:
to promote coordinated development of teacher education,
to determine and maintain standards of teacher education programme at primary and
secondary levels,
to regulate the establishment of institutions of teacher education,
to lay emphasis on continuing education of teachers,
to reduce the gap between supply and demand of teachers, and
to advise the Central Government, State Governments, UGC, Universities and other agencies
in matters relating to teacher education i.e. priorities, policies, plans and programmes.

2.4.5 National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration


(NIEPA)
The National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration is the apex institute in the
area of planning and administration of education in the country. For th first ten years of its
existence, the institute functioned as a UNESCO Institute having been established in 1962,
as the UNESCO Regional Centre for Training of Educational Planners, Administrations and
Supervisors in Asia and the Pacific. On 1st April, it was renamed as Asian Institute of
Educational Planning and Administration. The Institute was again renamed as National Institute
of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) in 1979.
Some of the functions of NIEPA are:
To improve the quality of planning and administration in education by means of study,
generation of new ideas, and techniques and disseminating them through interaction with,
and training of strategic groups and to achieve the same;
To organise pre-service and in-service training, conferences, workshops, meeting, seminars
and briefing sessions for senior educational officers of the Central and State Governments
and Union Territories;
To organise orientation and training programmes and refresher courses for university and
college administrators connected with educational planning and administration;
To undertake, aid, promote and coordinate research in various aspects of educational
planning and administration, including comparative studies in planning techniques and
administrative procedures int he different States of India and in other countires of the
world.

2.4.6 Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS)


Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, an autonomous body of Government of India, was set up on
15th December, 1965. The main missions of KVS are:
To cater to the educational needs of children of transferable Central Government employees
including Defence and para-military personnel by providing a common programme of
education.
To pursue excellence and set the pace in the field of school education.
To initiate and promote experimentation and innovations in education in collaboration
with other bodies like the CBSE and the NCERT.
To develop the spirit of national integration and create a sense of 'Indianness' among
children.
School System 2.4.6 National Open School (NOS)
The National Open School (NOS) was established in November, 1989 as an autonomous
organisation in pursuance of National Policy on Education, 1986, by the Ministry of Human
Resource Development, Government of India. The major objectives of the NOS are:
to provide opportunities for continuing and developmental education to interested learners,
through courses and programmes of general education; life enrichment modules and
vocational courses at the school level;
to provide consultancy services and to engage in model building in close collaboration
with States and a variety of other agencies or institutions.
to servp as an agency for effective dissemination of information related to distance education
and open learning.
to identify and promote standard of learning in distance education systems and open
school, which may be set up in different parts of the country through research and
evaluation and to maintain standards of equivalence with the formal system, while keeping
its own distinct character.

2.5 STATE PROVISIONS FOR SCHOOL EDUCATION


The educational structure at the State level includes the Ministry of Education, Secretariat,
Directorates, State Institute of Education, State Council of Educational Research and Training,
Textbook Board, and Board of School Education etc. You have already learned about the
Ministry oh Education, Directorates and Secretariat in an earlier sections in this Unit. Here
you will know the functions of SCERT, Textbook Board, and Boards of School Education.

2.5.1 State Council of Educational Research and 'kaining (SCERT)


In some of the states SCERT is known as State Institute of Education (SIE). It is an integral
part of the Directorate of Education and is the academic wing of the State Department of
Education. It provides academic guidance to the Regional ~ f h c e r sDistrict
, Education Officers,
Block Edwation Officers, and Principals of Schools. SCERTs are headed by Directors and
under them are the Joint Directors of different sections which include: Physical Education,
Audio-Visual Education, Institute of English, Vocational Guidance, Examination Unit, Science
Division, Curriculum Development, Teacher Education, Textbooks Production and Non-formal
Education etc. The functions of SCERT are as under:
a) It provides in-service training to teachers, primary and secondary schools and to District
Education Officers (DEO's), Block Education Officers (BEO's) and School Inspectors,
b) It supports teacher-training programme of primary and secondary levels in the state and
also fiames the teacher education curriculum,
c) It prepares the curriculum and textbooks for school education,
d) It collects data and conducts research on school education and feeds it to the Secretariat
for policy making execution; and evaluation,
e) It'looks into the scholarship, stipends, and other incentives to be provided to the children
of minority groups and ST, SC, OBC etc.,
f) It supports the improvement of instructional process in all school subjects with the help
of modern technologies and audio-visual aids, and
i

g) It develops academic linkages with NCERT, NCI'E and other Central level organizations.

2.5.2 Board of Secondary Education (BSE)


Most State governments have Boards of Secondary (School) Education. These Boards were
established in pursuance of the recommendation of the Secondary Education Commission
(1952-54). The Board generally consists of a Chairman and members. Members represent
school and university teachers of the state and also nominated members. The Boards prescribe
syllabi and textbooks for schools under their jurisdiction. The Boards are mainly advisory in
36 character. They provide recognitionlaffiliation to schools and conduct public examinations.
Schools, irrespective of their management, send their pupils for final examination conducted S'rndumdSchool Education
by the School Board. However, in States some schools are affiliated to the CBSE which
conducts public examinations and prescribe the syllabus.
a) to grant affiliationlrecognition to schools.
b) to prescribe syllabi and textbooks for schools.
c) to conduct public examination at Standard X and XI1 at the state level.
d) to maintain standards of secondary schools in the state.
e) to improve evaluation practices at secondary school level.
f) to co-operate with the State Institute of Education to provide in-service training to school
teachers,
g) to organize training programmes for paper setters and examiners,
h) to conduct research relating to problems of examinations at school stage,
i) to conduct special examinations for the award of scholarships and talent search
examinations, and
j) to maintain close relation with the state Department of Education.

2.5.3 State Textbook Board


State prescribes textbooks for the primary, secondary and higher secondary schools of the
entire state by taking into consideration the aims, objectives, needs and problems of the State.
So for production and supply of textbooks at affordable prices, each state of India has created
its own textbooks board. The Textbook Board is a statutory body of the state government and
is generally headed by a Chairman. It usually has experts in school education and distinguished
educationists and experienced teachers as its members. The main functions of a Textbook
Board are as follows:
a) to appoint subject experts to write, edit, review and evaluate textbooks in all school
subjects.
b) to publish or get published textbooks.
c) to supply textbooks to schools.
d) to conduct and support research relating to curriculum and textbooks.
e) to establish close relation with the SCERT, Ministry of Education, Directorate and
Secretariat.
f) to organize training programmes and workshops for teachers, textbook writers and experts
for textbook production.
You have just learned the Central and State provisions for school education in our country.
At the Central level institutions viz., NCERT, NCTE, CBSE, CABE etc. and at the State level
SCERT, Textbook Board, Board of School or Secondary Education work in a coherent manner.
All these institutions make an effort to promote access to education and improve the quality
of school education by looking into different aspects of education like examination, textbooks,
scholarships, syllabus, teacher education, etc. Now, on do the following exercise and then go
to the next section.
Check Your Progress
Notes: a) Write your answers in the space given below.
b) Compare you answers with those given at the end of this unit.
8. Name any four Central level institutions in education.
School System
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9. Name any four State level institutions in education.
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10. What are the functions of NCERT, NCTE, CABE and CBSE?
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11. What are the functions of SCERT, Textbook Board and Secondary Education Board?
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2.6 REGIONAL LEVEL ORGANIZATIONS


Some of the Indian states which are geographically large have been divided into educational
circles to raise the efficiency of school administration and supervision. The person incharge
of the circle or division is known as Circle Inspector, Circle Education Officer or Divisional
Inspector. Such educational circles are necessary to ensure the efficiency of school management.
The CEO acts as a link between the state and districts. The functions of the CXO are as
follows:
a) to co-ordinate the efforts of DEOs to avoid waste of time and money and thereby raise
efficiency,
b) to establish link between the Directorate and districts,
c) to plan and execute governmental policies in his region,
d) to determine the educational needs of the area,
e) to undertake supervision of the schools, and
f) to review the educational programmes and provide feedback to the Directorate of Education
in the State.

2.7 DESTRICT LEVEL ORGANIZATIONS


At the District level, there are the District Education Officer/District Inspectors and District
7R Institute of Education and Training. ,
Structure of'SeBeel E k k d h
2.7.1 District Education Office
The District Education Office is considered to be the most important unit in school
administration. It is under the charge of a District Education Officer (DEO) and under him
there are twolthree School Inspectors to assist him. In some States, there are separate DEO's
for primary schools and for secondary schools of the district. Both the DEOs have similar
functions at their respective school levels. The DEOs perform both academic and administrative
duties as under:
a) Supervision of schools and ensuring that schools adhere to given rules and regulations,
b) Communicating orders from the Directorate and Regional Circle Office to the schools,
c) Appoint, transfer, grant leave and look into the promotion of teaching and non-teaching
staff of government managed schools,
d) Advise and assist development of schools,
e) Establish links between the state level organizations and schools,
f) Collect data about the school and provide it to State government from time to time,
g) Guide curricular and co-curricular programmes of the schools, and
h) Attend to grievances.
Under the Panchayati Raj Scheme, Zila Parishads have been established. The Parishad consists
of representatives of block level Panchayats. As in other subjects, the Parishad is responsible
for educational development of the district, The District level education officer is usually the
member secretary of the Parishad. The pattern of functioning varies in the States. Some Zila
Parishads have substantial authority for educational development.

2.7.2 District Institute of Education and 'kaining (DIET)


The Programme of Action (POA) (1986) envisaged the setting up of DIETs in each district
of the country. Many DIETs have been established in the country. These institutes are managed
by their Principals who alongwith teaching staff conduct pre-service and in-service training
programmes for elementary school teachers. The functions of DIET are:
a) Survey the local needs and problems in elementary education,
b) Conduct in-service and pre-service training programmes for elementary school teachers,
c) Improve the competence of teachers in subjects and methods of teaching,
d) Conduct action research and training of teachers for action research, and
e) Promote the quality of learning in schools.

2.8 ROLE OF LOCAL LEVEL ORGANIZATIONS


The 42nd Amendment of the Constitution in 1991 on Panchayati Raj institutions envisages
the introduction of democratically elected bodies at the district, sub-district and gram-panchayat
levels. The Bill has made provision for the representation of women, scheduled castes and
scheduled tribes in the administrative bodies at local level viz. Municipalities, Village Panchayat
and Village Education Committee. Let us look at the formation and functions of these local
bodies in schgol education.

2.8.1 Local Bodies in Rural Areas


As per the Panchayati Raj Act, the state governments have to make arrangements for
democratically elected bodies to look after education. According to Article 40 of the
Constitution, "the States shall take steps to organize village panchayats and endow them with
such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self
government" . The Balwant Raj Mehta Committee had suggested a three-tier system of
administration viz. Gram Panchayat at the village level, a Panchayat Samiti at the Block or
Taluka level, and Zila Parishad at the District level.
School System development departments are nominated members in the Parishad. It approves the annual
budget of each Gram Panchayat in its jurisdiction, considers the demands of the Block
level samities and recommends to the state government for approval. It also guides the
work of the Block Samities and asks them for revision of plans and budget.
ii) Panchayat Samiti : This Samiti is at the Block or Taluka level. The Chairman is elected
by the members of Gram Panchayat in the Block and he is incharge of the Sarniti. The
functions of the Samiti are as under :
a) Construction and supervision of school building,
b) Supply of equipments to schools,
c) Enforcement of rules and regulations of the Government,
d)
e)
.
Involvement of the local community in education, and
Establishment of linkages between the Zila Panchayat and Gram Panchayat.
iii) Gram Panchayat : Gram Panchayats are formed by taking into consideration a big
village or some small villages in a geographical area as one unit. The administration of
primary schools has been entrusted to Gram Panchayats. Under the control of the Gram
Panchayat, there can be more than one school. The Sarpanch is the head of the Panchayat
and he is elected directly by the people. Under the Sarpanch, there are some elected
members from all the wards. The functions of Gram Panchayats in school education are
as follows :

a) To fulfil local needs through education,


bl) To bring school and local community together,
c) To expand facilities for primary education,
d) To plan school education in the village, and
e) To provide suggestions to its Zila Panchayat and Block Samiti for improvement of
school education.
iv) Village Education Committee (VEC) : The Panchayati Raj Bill envisages that each
Gram Panchayat will have a Village Education Committee in its village. The VEC would
be responsible for the administration of the delegated programmes in the field of education
at the village level. VEC comprises representatives of women, minority groups, and head
masters, sarpanch and ward members. For constituting VEC, elections may not be required.
The major responsibilities of VEC are :
a) It undertakes local level and school mapping in the village through systematic
house-to-house survey and periodic discussion with parents,
b) It ensures that all children are enrolled and retained in the school,
c) It ensures that all segments of the population participate in the education process,
'd) It ensures regular functioning of schools, and
e) It establishes close link with Gram Panchayat and other levels of administration.

2.8.2 Local Bodies in Urban Areas


Municipalities, Municipal Corporations and Nagar Palika: The Nagar Palika Bill, 1989 has
made the following provisions for Municipalities, Corporation and Nagar Palikas:
a) It will have an elected body to govern the city for five years,
b) The Chairman or Mayor will be the head of the Committee,
c) It will have a Vice-Chairman or Deputy-Mayor to assist the Chairman or Mayor, and
d) The Committee members will be elected from each locality of the city.
The functions of the Corporation of Palika in school education are as under :
a) To ensure that adequate facilities are provided in schools,
b) To establish new schools,
c) To recruit teachers, Stmctun d Sehod Macation

d) To provide adequate finances for schools, and


e) To plan along with teachers and community the development of the school under its
jurisdiction.

2.9 TEACHERS' UNION


The teachers' Union play a major role in the school management. Generally, a Union has a
President, a Vice-President, Secretary and members in it. These posts are filled up by nomination
or election. The functions of such organizations are as follows:
a) To facilitate the normal functioning of schools and teachers,
b) To suggest to school management the criteria, rules and regulation for recruitment, transfer,
leave, salary etc.,
C) To suggest to the Zila Parishad, Municipal Corporation, DEO, DPI and Secretariat for
any new provision or modification with regard to school functioning, and
d) To negotiate with authorities regarding scales and service conditions of teachers.

2.9.1 Role of Trustees and Private Managements


A large number of primary and secondary schools have been established and are maintained
by agencies like industries, religious groups, minority groups etc. These schools generally
have a Board of Trustee or Management to regulate the day-to-day affairs of their schools.
The members of the Board are mainly nominated or ex-officio. The functions of such bodies
in school education are :
a) To appoint teachers and Principal of their schools,
b) To regulate admission of students in their schools,
c) To provide finances to their school and create infrastructural facilities,
d) To see that rules and regulations of the State Government are followed in their schools,
and
e) To look into the day-to-day affairs of the school.

Check Your Progress


Notes: a) Write your answers in the space given below.
b) Compare your answers with those given at the end of this unit.
12. What are the local bodies that manage school education?

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13. What are the functions of the local bodies in school education?
14. What are the roles of Teachers' Unions?
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LET US SUM UP
In the preceding section, you learnt the functions of Regional, District and Sub-district level
organizations in school education. Regional level Education Office is charged with the
responsibility to promote efficiency of school functioning and to establish linkage between
Directorate and DEOs. The Regional Offices alongwith DEOs and School Inspectors supervise
schools, implement policies and decisions of the State Ministry and Directorate of Education.
They also provide data to Directorate about the schools under them. There are also DIETS
which conduct in-service and pre-service training of school teachers of primary schools. Local
bodies viz. Zila Parishad, Panchayat Samiti and Gram Panchayat administer education in a
democratic way. Some of the schools are also directly looked after by private managements
and trustees and although such schools work within the given guidelines.of the state, they
manage their own school by providing finances, staff, and infrastructure. In addition to these
local bodies and organizations, we have also Teachers' Unions which often play a major role
in the functions of the schools. Such unions not only take care of the interest of teachers but
also advise State government and school management on the improvement of school education.
Now you may take the following exercise.

2.11 UNIT-END ACTIVITIES


1. Visit the District Education Office and find the ways to regulate the education of school
through different agencies.
2. Review the Constitutional provisions for the education of SC, ST and minority
communities.

POINTS FOR DISCUSSION


1. Can a school be free from all the control of State or District level agencies?
2. Pmchayati Raj and school development.

ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS


1. i) Union List
ii) State List
iii) Current ~ i s t
2. - -
Union List : Entry - 13, Entry 62, Entry - 63, Entry 64, Entry - 65, Entry - 66,
State List : Entry - 12
Concurrent List : Entry - 20, Entry - 25 and Entry - 39.
3. The Constitutional provisions for the education of SCs and STs children are as follows:
Art.28 i) It states that if a school is run by the Government funds, it can not
impart religious instruction.
ii) If a school is established under any endowment trust, it can impart
religious instruction.
Art.29 i) Any citizen residing within the territory of India has the right to Stroctare oPSchod Ed.cl.tiw,
conserve its language, culture, script of its own.
ii) No citizen shall be denied admission to any educational institution
maintained out of state funds on the basis of caste, race, religion,
language or any of them.
Art.30 i) All minorities whether based on religion or language have the right
t to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.
ii) State shall not in granting grants or aids to educational institutions,
discriminate against any institution on the ~ o u n of
d minority, language
or religion.
4. We have the following Constitutional provision for teaching of mother tongue:
Art.350 (A) State shall have to ensure adequate provision facilities for imparting
instruction in mother tongue at the primary education level to children
helonging to mino~itygroups. The President may issue directions to
any state as he considers necessary.
5. i) 10+2+3 pattern of education.
10 = Std. I to X = Elementary (Primary & Upper Primary), Secondary
+2 = Std. XI to XI1
+3 = 3 yrs. degree course
7. 1. Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi (CBSE).
2. Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), New Delhi.
3. National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), New Delhi.
4. National Open School, New' Delhi.
8. The Cenual Government responsibilities are to make available free and compulsory
primary education, equalization of educational opportunities, make provision for scholarship
to competent and needy student, promote the vocationalization of education, improve
standarde of education, improve status of teacher education programme, organize non-
formal and open schools, promote research at school level, and administer school education
directly in union territories.
The State Government controls directly the school education in the states. The
responsihilities are to:
establish educational institutions.
provide grants to schools.
supervise Schools.
appoint school teachers and look after staff development.
conduct examination.
prepare textbooks.
feed information to the Central Government.
9. NCERT, New Delhi.
NCTE, New Delhi.

I
CABE, New Delhi.
CBSE, New Delhi.

TBB : Text Book Board


BSE : Board of Secondary Education
1 Ministry of Education.
School System 11. a) NCERT : It organizes research, extension work, training programme for pre-
service and in-service training programme, disseminate knowledge and
information, formulate policies and programmes in school education.
b) NCTE : It co-ordinates and develop teachers iducation programme at primary
and secondary level. It also advises the Central Government, State
Government, and UGC in matter relating to teacher education.
c) CABE : It advises the Central and State Government in matters relating to policies
and programmes of school education.
d) CBSE : It prescribes the syllabus for secondary education, conduct examinations,
give affiliation to schools and develop curriculum and textual materials.
12. a) SCERT : It provides in-service waning to teachers of primary and secondary
schools, DEOs, BEOs and School Inspectors. The teacher education programme
is looked after by the body. It prepares curriculum and textbooks for school
children, provides scholarships, and other incentives to them and support the
institutional process. It feeds information to NCERT and establish linkages with
other national bodies.
b) Textbook Board: It performs the following functions :
Develop and supply textbooks for school level.
Textbook evaluation researchers are conducted.
Organise training programme and workshops for subject expects to develop
textbooks.
c) Board of Secondary Education: It performs the following functions:
Prescribe syllabi and textbooks for schools.
Conducts examinations and improve evaluation practices.
Co-operate with other state institutes of education.
Organise training programme for evaluators.
Conduct special examination for the awad of scholarships.
13. The local bodies that manage school education are :
Zila Parishad
Panchayat Samiti
Gram Panchayat
Village Education Committee (VEC)
Municipal Corporation
Teachers' Union
Education Trust
14. The functions of local bodies are :
to improve quality of education
to appoint teachers
to formulate school policies
to provide finance and infrastructure to school
to look into the day-to-day affairs of school
to establish linkages with other schools, District Education Office and Block
Level Office.
15. The roles of teachers' unions are : Stmeture of School Education

to raise the status of teachers


to look into the working conditions of teachers
to facilitate the normal functioning of schools
i to suggest any change in rules and regulations of school management
1 to suggest the bodies at State and District level for any new provision in school
to negotiate with bodies at state level regarding salaries and service conditions.

L 2.14 SUGGESTED READINGS


L
Govinda, R., (ed.) (1997) : Decentralization of Educational Management :Experiencesfrom
/ South Asia. IIEP, UNESCO. Paris.
Mathur, S.S., (1990) : Educational Administration and Management, Ambala Cantt., Ambala,
India.
I

I Gore, M S . (1994) : Indian Education - Structure and Process, Rawat Publication, Jaipur,
New Delhi.
Stoops, E. and Rafferty, M.L., (1961) : Policies and Trends in School Administration, Ginn
Company, New York.

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